Thanks Anita (Posted August 27, 2012 at 2:33 pm). It …

Thanks Anita (Posted August 27, 2012 at 2:33 pm). It would be very useful if you could give the German Foreign Office and Der Spiegel a thumbs up about how out of date their warnings have become, before too many young Deutschies decide to steer clear of us. An eyewitness account, “in language”, from a local like yourself about the much safer place it has become since the police and youth workers combined forces and introduced much more effective preventative measures would go some way to restoring the damaged reputation of Alice Springs.

Bob Durnan Also Commented

Alice singled out in German Foreign Office travel warningYes Rex, (Posted August 24, 2012 at 9:32 pm), I agree that Advance Alice and Action for Alice played important roles in getting the NT government and its agencies prepared to take some big risks in backing Operation Marathon. However, the TV ad campaign by Action for Alice was an ill-advised method for building pressure on the government, as it was essentially a big blunt instrument which possibly did irrepairable damage to the tourist industry by hammering an unwarranted level of fear into high relief in the international media’s image of Alice Springs. The ads also led to a heightened sense of self-importance amongst some of the youth who were shown repeatedly in macho poses.
A willingness of more people from the business community to join forces with the alcohol-reform movement may well have led to a critical mass that could have achieved significant government intervention at an earlier stage.
One other thought: while you are in the mood for handing out awards for bravery, I think it would not be too much to ask for you to consider including John Boffa, Russell Goldflam, Vince Kelly, and PAAC on the list of those deserving mention in dispatches. Their persistent rational arguments were probably quite decisive with both police and government, in securing realisation about the need for bold preventative action on the grog-related violence front.

Alice singled out in German Foreign Office travel warningAlex Nelson (Posted August 23, 2012 at 3:32 pm) is, as usual, absolutely spot on with his facts.
Not only is it true that “the irony is that Alice Springs is considerably safer now than it was in the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s”: thanks to the excellent work by the police and youth workers, the town is also safer than it has been at any time in the period since the ‘90s.
The “winter-on-winter” data starting to become available for alcohol-related disturbances, crime, deaths and injuries indicate that the drop in incidents since the beginning of Operations Marathon and Daybreak (both commenced in the last half of May this year) is far beyond what anybody had dared hope to see. The police and government agencies have finally cracked a large proportion of the town’s problems. If they are permitted to continue these initiatives, we will enjoy a much improved social and economic climate, and probably also our own little cultural renaissance.
By the way: Hal Duell (Posted August 24, 2012 at 8:29 am) is correct to nominate the police dirt bike patrols for special mention. However, the YSOS patrols and the follow-up work by youth and social workers also deserves special recognition, along with the long hours of foot slog clocked up by ordinary constables outside the bottle-shops.

Recent Comments by Bob Durnan

Seniors concessions praised, but questions about tiersFascinating to hear that seniors who were grandfathered will keep their concessions and receive $500.
Would be even more interesting to know what that means.
Exactly what did the grandfathers do to the seniors? Care to tell us, Sue Shearer?

Bottle shop cops ‘security guards, paid for by the taxpayer’Neither Paul McCue nor James Smerk understands the role of the police at the TBLs / POSIs outside the takeaway grog outlets.
They are not there for the purpose of policing the outlets, nor for the purpose of proving security for the benefit of the outlets and their customers, although they do some of that incidentally in the course of their main duties.
The reason that police are there is to prevent the trafficking of alcohol by people who have no legitimate place to drink it, and who are intending to drink it in places where it is illegal to do so, such as Aboriginal lands where communities have asked the Liquor Commission to declare areas dry, or town camp leases which the Federal government has declared dry for the wellbeing of vulnerable residents.
These are the sole reasons that police are stationed outside the off-licence liquor outlets.

Booze report: What the government is likely to do.In response to R Henry on Oct 20th, on who gets the extra markup money?
There is very little brand loyalty to the cheap brands of Chardonnay amongst our dedicated alcohol-drinking punters: They are after the cheapest hit of alcohol for their buck, regardless of its host liquid, not for their next taste of the rank Calabrian / Bortoli products.
Since the vast majority of shoppers generally shift their choice to better value for money when confronted with higher prices (and this happened when Clare Martin knocked the cheapest wines and sherries off the shelves in October 2006: there was a massive shift to beer), there is unlikely to be very much windfall profits via extra markup.
To the extent that there are any windfalls, they are unlikely to be anywhere near commensurate with the decrease in profits that are likely to occur because of the overall impacts of a number of the proposed reforms.
To see if I am correct, keep your ears open for the sounds of the interstate alcohol industry cartels – manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers and their paid public relations reps squealing about the alleged injustice, unfairness and unworkability of these visionary evidence-based reforms.
It is going to be an interesting war, and the outcome will decide whether the NT has any future worth speaking about.

Elferink and Gooda clash over underage marriagePeter, Posted June 30, 2017 at 2:30 pm: some young girls may resist promised marriage more strongly these days, but I doubt whether some are in a position to do so.
It has been authoritatively reported by youth workers in Alice Springs and Tennant Creek in the last few years that rape of young women is rife in these towns.

I’m not kungka, I’m arelheDoes anybody know if the hours when the Arrernte words teaching program is held at the Apmere angkentye-kenhe are available somewhere on the net, or anywhere else?
I thought I had seen it advertised for every Wednesday night at 6pm, but this doesn’t appear to be the case?
I have gone there at this time, found it closed, and no notice or info on the door.
Anybody wanna clarify here?